Enchanted Academy: The Queen
by Scarlet Phlame
Summary: There is a town in Maine... where every storybook character you've ever known is trapped... in middle school! Regina has to deal with the problem of the principal being her mother, and ruling the school behind her mother's back. In her own way... And who is that mysterious boy that's always hanging around her? Stable Queen/Red Whale centered. A collaborative fic. (I own nothing.)
1. The Queen

"Don't get anything lower than an A," Cora Mills called to her daughter.

As Regina slunk down the stairs, still clumsy from drowsiness, slurred a sleepy response. "Okay, okay."

"And remember-"

"To never talk back, to never be sassy or arrogant, and most of all, never brag to anyone how you're the principal," Regina said, as she rolled her eyes.

"Good," Cora said, flashing a false smile in Regina's direction. Regina just sighed and picked up her backpack, which was as heavy as a ton of bricks, and felt like it was full of cement and not books.

"Goodbye, sweetheart," Henry Mills called from the other side of his flimsy newspaper. Regina smiled.

"Bye, Daddy," She said, causing Cora to scowl, but not say anything.

The automatic front door opened, and Regina took a deep, nervous breath, before heading out to face her first day of the seventh grade.

* * *

"Malerie, I told you not to text me during break," Regina complained, not even glancing in her friend's direction or even bothering to look up from her phone. She glanced over in Skye's direction, scowling deeply at her terrible clothing choice.

"What the hell are you even wearing, Skye?" Skye swallowed.

"I didn't have anything to wear to school. My mom was washing all the clothes." Regina mirthlessly smiled in her direction.

"Oh, well, that's okay, but you won't be allowed to sit at our table today," She said sharply, directing her attention back towards her phone. Skye hung her head in guilt.

"Oh, yes, and on Tuesday, everyone has to wear pink. No exceptions. If you don't, then don't even try to talk to me," she said oh-so sweetly. The two other girls gulped, but said nothing in response. Regina continued to text on her phone, but stopped when someone snatched it out of her hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She snapped at the janitor, Leroy who had just snatched her phone out of her icy grasp. Leroy furrowed his brow.

"You shouldn't be texting on school premises." Regina smiled.

"Well, you shouldn't talk to me like that. Do you even know who I am?" Leroy pretended to contemplate this for a moment.

"Hmm... well, let me see... you're the girl who was texting in the hall," he said in response, pocketing her phone. Regina just continued smiling with artificial sweetness.

"No, I'm the principal's daughter. And, if you don't give me my phone back, NOW, then I'm going to have her fire you and all your stupid janitor friends. And that shirt is so ghetto. How do you even support your fat self?" she lashed out, getting up in his face, well, as close as she could get to the taller man's face. Leroy stared at her for a moment, jaw slightly ajar, and he blinked before dipping his hand in and out of his pocket and handing Regina back her phone. Then he turned, glanced once in her direction, and scurried off in the other direction.

"Wow, you showed him," Malerie crooned. Regina simply smirked.

"I don't understand how pathetic scum like him even manage to get jobs," she said simply.

"I-" Regina glared in Skye's direction.

"Did anyone ask you for your opinion?" Skye swallowed, and stared at the floor for a moment, trying not to cry, eyes burning with the desire to do so.

"Crap, it's almost homeroom." Regina said, scowling at her watch, before unclasping it and hurling it a distance away in pure frustration. "Go get it," she said simply to Skye, who ran off in the direction she had thrown it. "Who was supposed to remind me when it was homeroom today?" Malerie shrugged.

"I think it was Amy. She was out with the flu today, though." Regina scoffed.

"Okay... tell all the girls not to talk to her... for a week," Regina said, as though she was discussing a new color of nail polish and not the harsh treatment of her popular friends.

"Okay." Malerie typed a memo down on her iPhone. At this moment, Skye had returned with Regina's watch.

"It's cracked," Skye said simply. Regina sighed and shook her head.

"Give me yours," she said smoothly.

"B-but, this was-"

"Do I look like I care?" Skye swallowed. "Do you want to be popular and in our group or not?" Skye quietly started to unstrap her own G-shock watch. "Hurry it up, or I'm going to be late to homeroom!" Regina yelled, and Skye jumped before reluctantly handing Regina her watch.

"Thank you," Regina said, eyeing the pink watch. "This is really out of season, but I suppose it'll have to do until I get another one." She sighed. "Oh, yes, and Skye, you're in charge of reminding me when homeroom is tomorrow," Regina said, playing around with the Siri function on her iPhone.

"But how am I supposed to remind you? I don't have a watch-"

"You're reminding me, and that's the end of it," Regina said coldly, before taking a turn into her homeroom, Malerie following closely behind.

Skye was alone, watch-less, and outside in the cold hallway.

* * *

"Miss Mills, what is the answer to question GC-76?" The teacher inquired from the other side of the room. Malerie slipped Regina the answers on a scrap of paper, and she studied them for a moment before calling out the correct answer. "Thank you, Miss Mills. Now, Mr. Nolan, what is the answer to GC-77?" Regina noticed, across the class, James was staring at Mary Margaret. She soundlessly scoffed, why should a popular person like him be paying any attention to that little scum, Mary? Still... She shook her head and went back to texting under her desk.

She did have a popular cult to be getting back to, after all.

And, a boyfriend to be texting.

* * *

_**Hey everyone! So, there is a story behind this story, so here's an explanation on how this will be going.**_

_**This is a collaborative story that I will be writing with Fabala Throp. I will be writing Stable Queen perspective, and she will be writing Snowing perspective. It's the same story, just from different eyes, so you can choose your favorite pairing to make reading more enjoyable. :)**_

_**Fabala Throp Profile:**_

_**wwwdotfanfictiondotnet/u/4456875/Fabala-Throp**_

_**The Enchanted Academy: Snowing in Fall:**_

_** wwwdotfanfictiondotnet/s/8925847/1/The-Enchanted-Academy-Snowing-In-Fall**_

_**Remove the "dot" and replace with a "."**_

_**As for the Regina action, I can only say, I am a HUGE Evil Regal. Don't get me wrong, I made her a huge jerk, but I'm going to make her soft around Daniel and Cora. :) She won't be like this in all chapters, no need to worry.**_

_**Please leave a comment on your thoughts, and I hope you enjoy the story!**_


	2. Stable Boy

"Regina?" Regina smiled to herself, recognizing that voice. The warmth and familiarity, not to mention the deep affection it held. She glanced around quickly to ensure that no one was watching, especially Malerie (she couldn't imagine what would happen if she was caught hanging around an unpopular boy) and ran to give Daniel a hug.

"I missed you. I wish we were in the same homeroom," She whispered lovingly into his ear. He chuckled.

"How was your first day of school?" He inquired as they pulled out of their embrace, kissing her briefly on the forehead. She held his arms in hers and sighed.

"Okay... I suppose..." Daniel raised an eyebrow at Regina's watch.

"Did you get a new watch?" He asked meekly. Regina shrugged and guiltily shuffled her feet. All of a sudden, the ground was exceedingly appealing. "Really?" He groaned in frustration. "Listen, Regina, it's not like I have a problem with you being popular and all... but, well, actually I do have a problem with it. Stealing kisses in between classes? Why can't you just give up your social status? Isn't our love more important? Those girls aren't even your friends, more like followers!" Regina said nothing in response. So Daniel repeated those five words, words that cut at her heart like a knife. "Isn't our love more important?"

Daniel took her silence as enough of an answer. Disgusted, he turned the other way and simply walked off, never looking back once.

* * *

Regina dashed down the hall making a beeline for the girl's restroom, sobbing loudly, not really caring if anyone noticed her. Well, not like anyone was even brave enough to confront her about it, anyway. She locked herself in a stall and cried all the way through fourth period.

Why didn't she tell Daniel the truth, that she needed to be popular, that it made her feel good inside? Why couldn't she open herself up to him, let him know how much she loved him? He was... he was like her Prince Charming, if fairytales were even real. If he were here now, he would hold and embrace her, tell her everything would work out. She cried even harder just thinking about him. So many emotions were jabbing at her in this simple instant, and she was conflicted between her social status.

She did feel guilty for the things she'd done, yes, but it didn't change the fact that she needed to do those things. In a way, it was like her "forbidden fruit," the apple she shouldn't pick. But how could she help it if those apples were her favorite food? How could she help it if she wanted to have both things? But she knew she would have to make her decision soon.

Unless... she made Daniel popular himself. Unless, she made them like him... But she shook her head, that wasn't the way to do things. Daniel would dislike the way she treated people, and she didn't want to see the dark side of her.

In truth, she was a good person. She wouldn't kick a dog or pull a cat's tail, but she would do both when with her friends.

But the truth dawned on her. Those weren't her friends.

Daniel was right, they were her followers, they were like minions.

But she couldn't even imagine something like that. She didn't want to lose it all, she wanted to have it all, friends, a place in society, and love.

But, then again, no one could have all those things after all.

She swallowed, hard.

How could she choose between the two most important things in her life?

* * *

"Hey... I'm home," Regina said, sighing and plopping her backpack down on the table, then quickly snatching it off. Her mother resented her school items on the table.

She didn't really want to bother to do her homework, there were just too many things on her mind right now. All day in class, she hadn't been able to focus. Somehow, Mendeleev's periodic table just wasn't interesting. In fact, she was so distracted, she even forgot to ask Malerie for the answers and ended up looking like a fool in front of the entire class. Of course, no one laughed, they were all too scared to even snicker or smirk.

She frowned hard, eyes boring into the rich mahogany wood of the kitchen table, drumming her fingernails against the hard wood.

Her phone buzzed, and her heart almost skipped a beat when she realized it was Daniel calling.

She almost dropped her phone in her rush to grab it, and the device shot up to her ear.

"Daniel?!" She next to screamed into the microphone. She was nervous to hear what he had to say, yes, but she needed to know what he had called her about.

"Hi, Regina... I... I don't know how to say this, but it's really hard to stay mad at you. I mean, I just... can't." She smiled of into space.

"I'm sorry, Daniel... if you want me to, I'll return the watch and lay off for a while... I mean, not be so much of a byotch anymore. You have to believe me when I say that you mean way more to me than my status... even if I didn't realize it then. I mean, that status isn't going to follow me through my entire life... Can you forgive me?" She could almost see his smile on the other end of the line.

"Of course, Regina." There were a few moments of silence. "I have to go now, I'll call you later." She smiled, eyes filling with tears of joy and, yet, sadness. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered, just before the line went dead.

She burst into tears.

She didn't deserve someone like Daniel.

* * *

_**Reviews:**_

_**rampantjake: I hope this chapter wasn't too gushy... O_O**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**reginamillz: Thank you so much! ^^ You have no idea how much all the sweet reviews mean!**_

_**IllusionOfOmniscientWolf: Same with EvilRegalGleek, and thank you for following me to this story! ^^ I seriously really appreciate it!**_

_**Ellen Potter: ^^**_

_**EvilRegalGleek: Oh, it's really relieving to see some of my old readers here, 'cause I was originally scared a story like this (middle school and all) wouldn't get much attention, but I'm glad people are reading this! ^^**_

* * *

_**Thank you all so much for your support! ^^**_

_**Since I've been getting a lot of reviews about this, I'll put it out there:**_

_**Regina is based off of Regina from Mean Girls. **_

_**Funny thing they have the same name. XD **_

_**Regina is also based off of some girls from my school, and I doubt any of them would even bother to read this. **_

_**Finally, she's based off of the Devil, Miranda from the Devil Wears Prada. With the schedules, and whatnot. :)**_

_**Thank you all, and please R&R!**_


	3. Snowing In Fall

"Give this back to Skye," Regina said, handing Malerie the watch, who was staring at her, confused.

"Uhh, why are you-"

"Don't say anything. It was too ghetto for my style. It would be a crime to wear it any longer. I want that thing out of my sight immediately." Malerie nodded and pocketed the "ghetto" contraption. "How long is it until homeroom?" Regina asked, trying not to smile at a text she had just received from Daniel. Successfully. She retained her stony, expressionless I-couldn't-care-less mask, and continued staring at the glassy screen of her iPhone.

"It's... thirty minutes," Malerie said, checking her watch quickly.

"Is everyone wearing pink today?" Regina said, frowning at a text from her mother. Were principals even supposed to text? Shouldn't her mother be scolding another kid or something?

"Yes," was Malerie's simple get-to-the-point answer. Regina was so absorbed in her texting, (well, pretending to text, she was actually playing Minecraft secretly,) she didn't even notice the girl ahead of her.

BANG.

In a split second, Regina was sprawled on the floor, as was the girl she had just collided with. Malerie was swift to help Regina up, but no one was there to help the other girl, and Regina wondered if she should help her up or not. Her gut told her to, so she did.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going," the girl apologized, and Regina smiled warmly in her direction, although, unbeknownst to Malerie, it was a real smile, which was odd, because she only smiled like that in front of Daniel.

"Neither was I," Regina said, to both Malerie and her surprise.

"Oh, sorry, I go bumping into people, and I don't even introduce myself." The girl grinned sheepishly. "I'm Mary Margaret, but everyone calls me Mary." She extended a hand for Regina to shake, and Regina reluctantly shook, ignoring Malerie's gawking.

"I'm Regina," Regina said to Mary Margaret, or Mary, as she was apparently called. "Is this your first year here? I've never seen you here before, I think," she said.

"Oh, yes, well, it is my first year here as a matter of fact. Actually, it's kind of good I bumped into you, I was looking for Spanish class. Could you point me in the right direction?" Regina froze, she had never taken a Spanish class, and she didn't even know there was a Spanish class. Why would anyone need to know Spanish in America, anyway? What was the point in speaking Spanish when there was no one in the country that spoke Spanish? Regina shook her head, some things just... appalled her. So as not to look dumb, she pointed in the direction behind her. "Spanish is down that hall," She said, and Mary thanked her quickly before dashing off. Malerie snickered once she was out of earshot.

"What's so funny?" Regina brutally snapped, making Malerie freeze for a moment, like she had just stabbed her in the stomach and not snapped at her.

"I... um, you pointed her in the wrong direction," Malerie murmured. Regina fought the blush that was threatening to light up her face the way a fire lights kerosene up. Luckily, she was able to keep it subdued.

"Of course I did, why else would I play the nice girl?" she said, hoping Malerie wouldn't notice that she was a little pink. "She obviously reeks of nerd, I mean, come on, new kids always do." She scoffed, knowing herself that even at one time, she had been a new kid, although that had been a long time ago, and no one probably even had known her long enough to remember when she was new. Except for Malerie, of course, but that wasn't what was important right now.

In a way, Regina felt slightly guilty for sending Mary in the wrong direction, but, hey, it wasn't her fault she didn't take Spanish. Daniel couldn't possibly blame her for that, now, could he? She had been doing pretty good so far, and it honestly didn't matter if she was a little late to class.

For a second there, it felt like the two of them had met, well, not really, but she felt like she had seen her face somewhere before, although she couldn't quite remember from where.

She shook that odd feeling off.

"What class is next?" She asked in a monotone voice, and Maleficent checked her schedule.

"Period seven, Study Skills," she replied quickly, as to not seem disorganized or untrustworthy. Well, after all, it was considered an honor to get to do Regina's schedule.

"And you have a different class," Regina said in dismay, and Malerie gulped. "Does anyone have Study Skills with me?" Malerie gulped and glanced over her iPhone notes once more.

"I think... Skye does." Regina snorted.

"Fine... let her know she needs to sit next to me to pass me the answers to the questions... and that she'd better not get any wrong. I don't need her pulling any more stunts, not after that little flaunt from last time." Malerie nodded and typed something in Messages before reluctantly sending it.

"Excused," Regina said simply, giving Malerie precisely a minute to run to the other side of the hall for Spanish class.

She sighed to herself, dropping her stony act for a second before regaining it in another.

Sometimes, it was hard to be a popular byotch.


	4. Red As Rubies

Ruby adjusted her raven-black glasses and shoved some History books back in her locker. It had been a long sixth period, and she wanted nothing more than to get over with seventh, the last class of the day, and go home. She turned to leave, then remembered to lock her locker up at the last minute. Whoops.

She hoisted her backpack up onto her shoulders, glancing around the hall briefly to see which direction she should go. Spanish, down the hall that way, her gut instinct told her, and as she started to walk down the hall, she bumped into a girl running the opposite direction.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," the girl said, apologizing sheepishly. Ruby simply smiled, wondering a little why someone was talking to her. Apologizing, even. She had always been sort of a loner.

"Oh, no, it isn't any problem." The girl sighed.

"I've been crashing into people all day," she murmured. "It's my first year here." A little light bulb flashed in Ruby's head. So that was why she was talking to her.

"Hey, it's no problem. What class are you headed to? You seem a little lost, not to be mean or anything," Ruby said quickly.

"Well, I was trying to find Spanish."

Huh, they had the same class. That was a little odd, but Ruby supposed it was just good luck. "Well, funny thing, I have Spanish too. Do you want to walk with me there?" Ruby offered, hoping she wouldn't get rejected or anything, which seemed to happen regularly around her.

"Of course," Mary said cheerfully. Which was weird, since Ruby was considered a social outcast and had no friends in the four years she had been here.

"I'm Ruby, nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand for Mary to shake. She shook it, much to her mild surprise.

"I'm Mary Margaret," the girl said brightly.

"Oh, Spanish is down that hall." Mary made a face like she'd just smelled a dead fish.

"I was heading down the wrong direction. That's odd, the girl I met earlier said it was that way. What was her name... Regina." Ruby scoffed slightly at the mention of Regina, but otherwise had no real reaction.

"Regina... yeah, she's really popular around here, so much, as a matter of fact, it's like she owns the place," Ruby said, hoping Mary wouldn't notice how much she loathed that girl. So bitter and cocky. It made her blood boil just to think about her.

"Well, anyway, let's get to Spanish," Ruby said, shaking her head to clear off the jumbled mix of confused emotions swirling around in her head.

* * *

The kids started getting loaded onto the bus, and Ruby sat, bored, elbows on the frame of a filthy window, staring outside. Not anything very interesting, well, then again, nothing interesting ever happened here. Sure, there was a couple of cat-fights, but nothing much. Still, though, she was surprised when she turned her head to find Mary Margaret sitting right next to her.

"Oh, sorry, I uh, didn't notice you were there," Ruby said awkwardly. Mary shook her head.

"Don't worry, I was kind of spacing out there," Mary said, chuckling softly. "Is anyone sitting here? Should I-" she made a gesture out towards the other seats.

"Oh, no, there's no need, no one ever really sits by me," Ruby said, a smiled tugging at the edges of her lips. She frowned a little at that idea, and wondered if this was a setup or a trick or something. Mary had mentioned she knew Regina, right? But she supposed not, especially because no one would even bother to talk to her, dare or not. Besides, Mary seemed pretty genuine.

"Oh, well, that's a shame," Mary said simply. Ruby stared out the window a little longer before directing her attention towards Mary again.

"Do you take any extra-curricular activities?" She inquired, hoping to hear a yes.

"I used to take archery and fencing at my old school, do they have anything like that here?" Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, they have a lot of stuff here. I'm pretty sure they have both those things. Did you know they have tracking classes?" Mary frowned at this news.

"Why would you need to know how to track?" Ruby shrugged.

"Don't know... isn't like we live in the wood or anything, right? I don't even think there's a forest around here." She paused for a moment.

"Do you take any after-school classes?" Ruby nodded, glad Mary had asked.

"Yeah, I take Music and Dance. I'm sort of a Broadway geek," Ruby said, chuckling nervously. Mary just smiled warmly, which relieved Ruby, because to everyone else, dance and music and artsy crap was like a virus. So were the people who took part in those activities. Most people in her class didn't even want to be there, they were only there because their parents had forced them to.

"That sounds really fun. I wish I could sing, but I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to stuff like that," Mary said, even though Ruby had a feeling that "stuff" was a pretty toned-down word for Mary. Even though she didn't know her that well, she had a feeling that the girl sitting beside her was very smart.

"Oh, it's my stop now," Mary said, sitting up a little taller and straining to look out the bus window.

"I'll see you later then?" Ruby asked, eagerly awaiting Mary's answer. Mary smiled and nodded.

"See you tomorrow," she replied, quickly getting out of the seat and scurrying out the door.

As the bus pulled away, Ruby was fairly certain that Mary had been waving to her from the sidewalk.

* * *

_**To clear up confusion, here's a list who I will be writing for:**_

_**Regina**_

_**Ruby**_

**_To be announced_**

**_Here is who Fabala Throp will be writing for:_**

**_Mary Margaret_**

**_James_**

**_Gold_**


	5. A Fish Out Of Water

Ruby Lucas ran through the halls, trying to avoid being seen. She quite honestly wasn't in the mood to get in another confrontation with that... despicable character Regina. She strutted around like she owned the place, well, then again, her parents sort of did, but that gave her no right to treat others the way she did. She wondered why people even liked her in the first place.

Maybe they just like malicious people like that, she decided. After all, there really was no point in following someone who actually had a brain, right?

She watched her from the other side of the classroom in Study Skills, and came to the conclusion that Regina Mills was nothing more than a coward and a cheat.

And who was that mysterious boy that was always hanging around her?

From the other end of the room, she recognized one of her fellow students as Xavier Gold. What a peculiar name, but oh well. Fit a particularly peculiarly person, and she realized how odd that sounded.

Xavier was your average, "off" person, well, as average as an off person could be. He always had the thing you needed at the right time. A replacement number two pencil for a Scantron test, a ink eraser for a huge mistake, or a cheat sheet for those unlucky people who couldn't find the time to study.

And of course, there was always his ridiculous prices.

Maybe that was why his name was Gold, she decided. Maybe his name was Gold because he made so much money off of unfortunate students.

Oh well, not like it was her place to judge him, anyway.

Something hit her in the head, and she frowned, expecting it to be a rock or something, which was pretty normal for someone like her.

But it was a note instead, a note from none other than the girl she had met the other day, Mary Margaret.

She eyed it for a moment before smiling and leaning back in her seat.

Somehow, she was glad to know Mary Margaret, she was glad to have... a friend, dare she say it, after all.

* * *

Regina frowned at the sight of the leather-bound notebook in Whale's hand. She didn't expect nerds like him to waltz freely around the halls like they owned the place, that was absurd, because the place belonged to her.

"Whale?" she inquired, furrowing her brow slightly. She noticed him cower slightly, and clutch the notebook closer. "What the hell are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing," Dr. Whale mumbled, and her curiosity started to burn.

"It can't be nothing, you idiot," she exclaimed, and Malerie snatched it out of his grasp. She frowned, scanning over the words, then whispered something to Regina. She slowly turned red.

"How dare you!" Regina screamed, and the students in the hall paused, before taking a dash in the opposite direction, not even bothering to lock their lockers up. "How dare you write such... UGH!" Regina's eyes were burning with anger and humiliation, and she let out a little huff. She couldn't even believe that Whale was defying her. This wasn't good.

This wasn't good because it meant she wasn't scaring everyone enough.

In a fast moment, Regina's fist collided with Whale's cheek, and he was on the ground in an instant. He backed away, rubbing his sore cheek. Regina smirked.

"I told you to watch out for me. You should've expected something like this to happen. You're such a fool.

Whale chuckled.

"No, you've only made a fool of yourself." He carefully walked over to his locker, eyeing Regina warily. "This..." Whale detached something that appeared to be a photo from the locker, and eyed it carefully. "This is a video camera. It's recorded the entire fight and conversation." Regina's smirk vanished, and Whale chuckled. "Wonder what might happen if dear Mother were to find out." Regina looked at Whale like he was a snack.

"H...How..." Now it was Whale's turn to smirk.

"How do you think? I'm smarter than you by far." Malerie frowned.

"What do you want?" she asked lazily, watching Whale pause.

"I want her..." Whale addressed Regina as if she wasn't there. "...to leave me and my brother alone." Regina snorted. "You're always putting us down!" Whale cried defensively. Regina rolled her eyes, although Whale could easily see that she was nervous.

"Fine..." Regina said after a moment, and she swallowed hard. How had Whale thought to record the entire fight? Where did he get the brains for that? Probably stole them from a grave, she decided duly.

"Very well, I'll delete the footage," Whale said surreptitiously, and Regina shuddered, not liking the way he was looking at her.

After Whale had left, Malerie leaned over and whispered into her ear.

"We're getting back at him. Right?" Regina smirked.

"Of course we are." She carelessly grinned. "Do you really think I would let him slip away with something like that?"

* * *

_**Hey, everyone, we have one final addition to our group! Madame Mayor will be writing from Whale's POV, and the rest are to be announced. :)  
**_

_**Enchanted Academy: Fish Out Of Water**_

_** wwwdotfanfictiondotnet/s/8951682/1/Enchanted-Academy-Fish-Out-Of-Water**_

**_Madame Mayor:  
_**

**_ wwwdotfanfictiondotnet/u/4474988/Madame-Mayor_**

**_Replace "dot" with "."_**

* * *

**_LacieAliceAlyss: Yes, Fabala Throp will be writing for Gold. ^^  
_**

**_Pairings will be:  
_**

**_Regina/Daniel_**

**_Gold/Belle_**

**_Whale/?_**

**_Ruby/?_**

**_Mary Margaret/David_**


	6. Scars

Mary Margaret was absent today, which was relatively okay with Ruby, since she was kind of caught up in homework in the moment.

She was absolutely giddy today, because her granny was going to take her out shopping at the mall today, which was something she rarely did, because keeping her shut up all the time was for "her own good."

Her head was buried in a Social Studies book, and before she knew it, she had crashed into another student, which seemed to happen pretty regularly in this school.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," she said, helping the other student up, on she recognized as the science nerd who had pissed Regina off about a week ago, Whale. A smile stretched across your face. "Your the one who bested Regina last week, right?" Whale raised an eyebrow. "High five!" And he reluctantly tapped her hand.

"Umm, thanks?" Ruby beamed.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Ruby. It's nice to meet you," she said a bit too cheerfully.

"Whale," he said simply, holding out a hand to shake. Ruby shook it happily. "You're awfully cheerful today, aren't ya?" He sighed. "Don't know why, there isn't much to be cheerful about." Ruby frowned at his pessimistic attitude. She was normally a grouch, yes, but she didn't see why anyone else would have an excuse to be so... Realization dawned on her, this must be a social outcast as well!

She knew how much she hated being that way, so maybe she should finally open up to someone else. After all, she didn't have anyone to sit by at lunch since Mary Margaret was absent today, right?

"I think we're going to have to change that attitude..." She giggled. "You want to sit next to me at lunch? At least I'll have someone to talk to." Whale frowned.

"I suppose so..." She grinned.

"Okay then," she said, skipping off cheerfully down the hall. Whale just frowned.

* * *

"Ready? You have the necessary ingredient, right?" Malerie nodded and smirked. Regina couldn't wait to see the look on Whale's face when he...

"Oh, god, he's coming," Malerie whispered, and Regina frowned.

"Who's that girl next to him?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter... we'll do the same thing to her." Malerie sneered and the two watched in hushed silence as Whale and the unknown girl in red chatted away tirelessly.

"He's leaving," Malerie whispered to Regina, as the two watched the girl stand and follow Whale off somewhere.

"Perfect, it's almost like he was expecting us."

The two girls waited a bit longer, before scurrying off to the table and sprinkling the ghost pepper dust underneath the bun, and then, running back to their table.

"I can't want to see them take a bite," Malerie whispered evilly to Regina, who was grinning ear-to-ear in the manner a Cheshire Cat does.

The two watched Whale converse with the girl in red a little more, before she paused to take a bite, and he did so as well.

"This couldn't be more perfect," Regina murmured, eyes shining bright with excitement.

The girl in red was the first to realize what she had eaten, and her face turned a magnificent scarlet to match the clothing she was wearing.

Regina snickered and tried her best not to lose it at the sight of Whale who looked like he had just been slapped with a dead fish. He too, was equally red.

"We beached this whale," Regina said, slapping Malerie a triumphant high-five.

* * *

When Regina got home that day, things were a different story.

Dinner wasn't on the table, which was unusual, because Cora usually liked to leave dinner out on the table, despite the fact that it was always stone-cold whenever she got home.

Another difference was how Cora herself was standing right at the top of the stairs leading to her room, a fake smile plastered on her face and her arms folded across her chest.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me, Regina?" she asked, her tone sounding sickly sweet.

"No..." There was just something about Cora's sickly sweet smile that sent shivers down her spine. She hesitated for a moment. "Can I go to my room now?" She was eager to get away from this situation, because, whatever the outcome was, it couldn't be good.

"Regina." Cora's tone was brutal now, and had lost all its artificial sweetness.

"No. You see, darling, I was not pleased to see footage of you bullying a fellow student," she snapped. Regina shook a little, how had she seen that video? "Do you know what you're doing to my reputation?! I could lose my job, and it would be your fault." Cora scrutinized Regina, searching for any emotion other than fear. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I..."

"Please, you're going to have to do better than that."

Cora slapped Regina upside the face, her ring cutting deep into Regina's upper lip, and sending her tumbling back down the stairs.

Without another word, Cora skulked back to her office.


	7. Look At Mary

Regina was missing for the next few days, which was okay with everyone else, they had needed a bit of a break from her tireless teasing, which bothered everyone except for Malerie, who was incredibly worried for her friend.

It was unlike Regina to miss school, unless she was really sick, or she was playing hooky again. But even if she was playing hooky, she would give instructions to her for how to lead the group while she was away. Not to mention the fact that if she was really sick, Malerie would be seeing plenty of texts and complaints about how awful she was feeling, etc.

But for a week, she had gotten no word, no text or email, nothing at all. Regina hadn't even checked how many followers she had on Instagram, which had skyrocketed recently.

Malerie saw her as she looked up from her locker. Relief washed over her, maybe she had jut gotten the flu, which had gotten a little out of hand lately. She frowned, though, who applied Regina's makeup today?

And that's when she realized that she wasn't wearing makeup.

There were dark circled under her eye, and Malerie could've sworn she had a few bruises, and was that a scar on her lip? Regina blinked, pretending nothing was wrong, but Malerie could see the obvious.

"What are you staring at?" She snapped brutally, the anger in her voice radiating like hot waves. Malerie snapped out of her little trance for a moment.

"Oh, sorry... I, um..." Malerie looked around for an excuse. "I... like your hair today?" Regina narrowed her eyes furiously, and Malerie swallowed. "Homeroom is in ten minutes?" she tried, hoping it would be enough to keep Regina calm so she could carry on. Regina just shook her head and headed off into the other direction without another word, and Malerie sighed, letting out a lot of anguish in that simple gesture.

But what the hell had happened to Regina during the break? Well, if you called her... illness, she decided to call it, a break.

Malerie shook her head. She would just never understand some people. Although her friends seemed to be the most difficult to understand.

* * *

Ruby was allergic to ghost peppers, as she soon discovered.

The past few days had been dedicated to puking up her insides and flushing red in embarrassment at sight of the pictures of her posted on Instagram, eating the burger, then turning scarlet.

"Little Red Riding Hood: A Ghost Of Who She Could've Been," the pictures were titled, and over 1,000 likes had already been established.

Well, it could be worse, she decided, even though she was pretty sure the principal had seen some as well.

This was it, her life was over. Even if those pictures had the lamest title ever, a camera couldn't lie, much less a picture.

It was official. She was never going back to school again.

* * *

Regina lazily dumped her bag on the kitchen table after she had made sure the coast was clear, and took a sip out of the bowl of soup on the counter.

"What did I tell you about leaving your bag on the kitchen table?" Cora snapped, scowling at Regina as she pushed the heavy object off the table. Regina sat there in silence, listening to her mother deliriously rant about work.

"Oh, did I tell you I had a visit from Mary Margaret today? She's a new kid here," he mother said, sprinkling some salt into what looked like stew, stirring it, then putting the heat on. Regina snorted.

"What did she do wrong?" she questioned, wondering what Mary had done. She seemed pretty mild, although Regina supposed that anything could happen at their "enchanting" school.

"Nothing. She came by and asked if I wanted some spare cookies because it was her birthday, but I said no." Regina frowned. "You should see her grades," Cora continued. "Straight A's. Not a single minus in sight." Regina picked at her food. "Why can't you be more like her?" Cora asked, angrily stirring the stew. "You're always so lazy... look at Mary, she's literally the top of the class..."

"Mom... stop." Regina said softly, but firmly. Cora turned from the stew, anger written all over her menacing expressions.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I said shut the hell up," Regina replied bluntly, before taking a wild dash up the stairs and locking herself in her room. And she stayed in there, lying flopped down on her bed, listening to the sound of her mother's angry shouting and the sound of hard hands crashing into the soft wood that made her door, the barrier keeping her safe from her mother's wrath.

Well, this had been a typical day, Regina decided, and the stew was most certainly going to burn.


	8. The Living Nightmare

Regina had had it with her mother's tireless ranting about how perfect Mary Margaret was. She was going to lose it if she didn't have a break sooner or later, and her "cult" was just annoying. She would complain to Daniel whenever she could, he had always been a good listener.

That was, until that one fateful day...

"Love you," Regina said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He chuckled, then took a glance at his watch.

"Oh, no, I have to go... I promised Mary that I would meet her at the Science lab to help her with her project..." Regina sighed.

"No, it's perfectly understandable." She grinned. "I'll see you later then?" He smiled and nodded.

"See you later."

Regina walked off in the other direction, not even noticing Charming, who was standing right by the locker, and had seen everything.

* * *

Ruby studied the science book duly and scribbled down some equations in her textbook. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Mary Margaret talking with a boy.

She peeked out over her book, trying not to burst into giggles. She knew that she should leave Mary to her own business, and yet, she really wanted to know who that boy was. Why were they together anyway?

Mary noticed her, and smiled in her direction. "Ruby, I didn't notice you, would you like to join us?" Ruby flushed red. Oh, gods, why did she even come back to school in the first place? Today had been a complete disaster, anyway, and it just kept getting worse.

"I... I, um..." Ruby was shocked into silence, and Mary just shrugged, letting her gaze fall once more onto the textbook. Ruby let out a breath, not even knowing she had been holding it.

She noticed Whale on the other end of the lab and smiled quietly to herself. What was he doing anyway? Fascinated, she watched him pour something into another and-

Before she knew it, she had been knocked onto the floor. Smoke filled her mouth, and coughing, she stood shakily. The ground was burning. What the hell had Whale concocted?

Alarmed, she watched in horror as the embers danced around the lab, engulfing everything in flame.

The lab was on fire.

* * *

Regina sighed, staring dejectedly off into the distance. She had received a literal flood of texts from Malerie, and had finally caves and just muted her phone completely, before hastily switching it back on. Even though there really was no point in listening to her endless texts, anyway.

She had decided to wait for Daniel outside the building, because she wasn't in the mood to go home right now, that was where her mother was.

The sound of a siren cut her off from her thoughts, and she frowned. She hated those things, so noisy. Not to mention their town's fire department was always slow to a case. Oh, well. Not like she should care, anyway.

She crinkled her nose all of a sudden. What was that smell? Barbecue? Or maybe a roast? Or...

Her gaze drifted onto the left wing of the school. The whole science lab was engulfed in powerful, thick smoke. She sat there a moment, not believing what was happening, and then she leapt up from the bench. Daniel was in there!

She made a mad dash for the lab, arms pumping by her sides, she had to go and help Daniel, she had to. She was stopped straight in her tracks by a firefighter.

"Excuse me, miss, you need to stay calm and away from the fire," he said in a monotone voice. Regina shook her head fearfully.

"No, you don't understand, my boyfriend is in there, I have to help him!" she stuttered, her heart racing.

"Miss, you have to stay away from the fire," he repeated sullenly, almost sounding robotic.

"No, no, you have to let me in, you don't understand, I HAVE TO HELP HIM!" she screamed, frantically trying to break free from his iron grip. "Daniel!" She screamed, although she knew he couldn't hear her. The sound of her own voice, panicked and laced with worry, scared her even more and she started to hyperventilate. Another fireman came and pulled her away and made her sit on the bench she had been resting on not so long ago.

Tears were streaming down her face, and her heart felt like it was about to burst, it was pounding so fast.

By now, she was in shock, and all she could do was sit down and watch dumbly as the fire conquered the building lazily. She glanced at her phone, because she didn't know what else to do.

And then it rang.

She almost screamed at who was calling her, it was Daniel!

But she couldn't move to pick up the phone. She just sat there, in dumb silence, watching he phone buzz and chime. The torture ended and the "Daniel is calling you" sign vanished. She let out tiny sobs and cried into her hands, when the phone started to ring again. She just couldn't do it, she couldn't make herself pick up the phone.

* * *

What seemed like hours later, when the fire had been tamed, and Regina's father had come to pick her up, she had felt lonely and dejected. She was in such a daze she couldn't even hear what he was saying, an she couldn't even bear to look across the field at the devastation that had been caused.


	9. Help Me Say Goodbye

**1 Week Later**

"God forbid that my own daughter has a boyfriend at this age," Cora fumed, and Regina pressed her back up to the wall to hide from her mother's evil glare. She knew she was positive to receive a terrifying punishment, and though her father did his best she knew that he would not be able to do anything against her.

"Cora, I doubt she meant any harm." Regina could make out Cora's silhouette shake her head.

"Well, she might not have meant harm, but that is what she will receive, I swear."

"Cora," Henry said firmly, but Regina knew it was hopeless and that the best thing to do was go up to her room and lock the door firmly behind her, put a chair up to the knob, and then hide in the closet, because it was the only thing that made her feel safe at this point. But her feet wouldn't move, and she stared down at them as if she were willing them to move.

After the effects of the fire, Daniel had been sent to the hospital in severe condition. His legs and arms had been badly burned due to his shielding his face with his arms. She had visited him on several occasions, but eventually Cora had found out and now look at what had happened.

Her hands curled into tight fists, her knuckles paling from the pressure she exerted upon them. She was going to make Whale pay, it had to be him, that was what everyone had said it was, another one of his science experiments gone bad. When, in reality, he had only brought more attention upon himself.

Then her feet did move. But not in the correct direction. They carried her outside, through the door, onto the lawn, and all the way past the block. Wind flitted in her face and scrambled her hair, but she couldn't care less, no, she didn't care, and she just ran and ran. She didn't know where she was going or why she had broken into a fast-paced run, for that matter, she just went where her feet took her.

She ended up directly in front of the hospital.

* * *

Regina squeezed Daniel's hand lightly. "Hey," she said, because she didn't know what else to do or say for that matter and just that one word seemed to fill him in anyway, there normally was no need for words because they knew exactly what the other was thinking. They could read each other like books.

Daniel was silent for a moment. "Hey," he said in response, but his tone was heavy and sad sounding. She didn't blame him, he had just been in a fire, but she didn't quite know why he looked so upset. She had never seen him like this before, not on any of her other regular visits, and she supposed that it was simply because he had been in shock and it was sinking in now.

"Are you all right?" there was a long pause. It wasn't the kind of pause where it just happens that no one is talking, it was a very loud pause, so loud Regina could hear the own thump of her panicked heart.

"I have to move," Daniel murmured under his breath, so quietly he might not have even said it at all. Regina stood shock-still for a moment, and no matter what she did she couldn't comprehend what he meant by this.

"What do you mean?"

"I have to move. Out of state." Regina gasped. She rarely behaved like this but she felt she had an excuse and she simply couldn't believe what she had just heard. Had she misunderstood him?

"I... I don't understand." Daniel sent her a weak smile.

"Of course you do. Regina, you're going to be fine. I promise you. It's only temporary, and I will wait for you until I get back." She gave him a big hug, careful not to crush his ribs or anything.

"But why?" she whispered as the tears began to flow freely from her eyes and down her cheek.

"My parents got another job offer, and they really needed the money for the hospital bills and everything." Regina swallowed hard. She didn't want to say goodbye, she didn't want to believe that he was really going. But she surprised herself with how lightly she had taken the news.

"When?" she choked.

"Monday." Regina's face looked aghast.

"But that's in three days," she said, her breaths becoming a pant due to hyperventilation. "Don't you... don't you need longer to recover?" Daniel gave her hand a soft squeeze, and she suddenly realized how weak and tired he must be.

"I promise I'll be back. Here, I'll give you my email so we can stay in touch." Daniel leaned over and scribbled down something on a pad he had left by his hospital bed and handed it to Regina. "Don't worry about me," he said, eyes twinkling. Regina swallowed and tried to force on a weak smile.

"I know you'll be back. And when you do, I'll be waiting here with open arms." Despite the fact she had said this, Regina knew it would be the end of her if she had to see Daniel leave.


	10. The Queen of Evil

Ruby sat in the cafeteria, resting her head up against the wall. It was late afternoon by now, and she had gone all day without a respectful drink of water. Her throat felt parched, but she didn't have any lunch money and she was too lazy to go get up and get a cup.

"Hi, Ruby," Mary Margaret said, taking a seat by her.

"Hi," she mumbled in weary response. "I'm so thirsty." Mary sent her a quizzical look.

"Then why don't you go get some water?" She suggested.

"Too lazy," Ruby mumbled. Her gaze drifted across the cafeteria to the water fountain. It actually didn't seem that far away. Maybe she could-

The sight of Regina Mills clouded her view, and she nearly screamed, she had been so startled.

"Hi, Regina," Mary Margaret said, and she kept her gaze down at her plate of vegetables, although she had told Ruby numerous times she hated vegetables.

"Hello, Mary, dear," Regina said, a fake-as-plastic smile plastered on her face. Mary let out a nervous chuckle and tried to go back to eating, hoping Regina had just happened to pass by, and was being polite, that was, until Regina took a seat right beside her. Ruby shot Mary a what-the-hell-is-she-doing-sitting-here look and Mary shrugged and swallowed. Ruby would've groaned, but she didn't want to fan the flames, so she went back to eating.

The three were silent for a while, before Regina brutally sliced through the silence. "So, I heard about the fire in the Science laboratory," she said, her features twisting up into a grin wide as the Cheshire Cat's.

"Yeah," Mary said, placing her fork down. "I-"

"So, did you happen to know who started the fire?" Regina said.

"No," Ruby and Mary stuttered at the same time. Regina let out a little laugh that was creepy as fudge.

"Oh, I see, of course you wouldn't be comfortable recalling it. But, really, you can tell me anything, I'm totally here to listen."

'Yes, we can tell you anything, but we won't,' Ruby thought, almost letting out a little chuckle. 'Not to mention you will repeat anything we say to anything with an ear,' she thought smugly.

"No, I think that's okay," Mary said dismissively, waving a hand awkwardly in the air as if to prove her point. Although there wasn't much of a point to be made.

"Oh, but are you sure, I mean, it must have been very upsetting to see the school in flames before your very eyes," Regina pressed.

"It... well, It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience," Mary admitted, and Ruby was sure she had ignored the glare she had sent her. Her friend was new here, and she obviously knew nothing about Regina Mills. You didn't talk to her, you didn't tell her anything. She would only use it against you.

"Of course not, but... You know, you'd be a service to the school if you just told me who set the fire. I mean, it'd make it safer. As head of the service committee, it's my duty to ensure the safety of the students." 'Oh, no,' Ruby thought miserably. 'Here comes the service committee speech.'

For as long as she could remember, Regina Mills had been head of the service committee. Rumor had it that her mother, the principal, had forced her to join, but she seemed to be immensely enjoying her position. She frequently used her position as an excuse to boss around other students and force information out of them.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," Mary said firmly. Ruby almost breathed a sigh of relief, she was glad her friend had finally realized what Regina was up to.

"Oh, well, that's okay," Regina said, her smiled vanishing and being replaced by something almost... sinister. Ruby smirked, at least she knew that she wasn't going to get any information out of them, not now and not ever. "I do hope you realize what a mistake you've made," she said darkly, before standing and stalking off to her regular lunch seating, sending Mary's backpack tumbling off the lunch bench.

"What's her problem? Is she, like, evil or something?" Mary asked after she had left, scooping her bag up. Ruby let out a nervous laugh and went to help her with her books.

"You only realized that now?" Ruby quipped. Mary shot her a glare. "Naw, but, really, she's like... like the Queen Of Evil."

"Evil Queen... yeah, I think that suits her," Mary said with a chuckle.


	11. I Knew You Were Trouble

Regina sat at the cafeteria, twisting a strand of spaghetti around with her fork. Since the incidents of the fire, she had become moody, depressed, and obtained a hunger for revenge that she didn't like at all. It didn't feel like her. Daniel wouldn't have liked it, she thought to herself.

She wasn't sitting by her friends now, of course. Just at one empty table in particular. Well, it hadn't been empty until she had sat down. But it was a good thing, she needed some space to think about what had happened. Who had started the fire.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a very familiar face. Xander Gold. He appeared to be conversing with a brunette, Regina frowned to herself. She never usually saw Xander talking to anyone, not ever. So why- no, who was this girl?

She bit her lip, maybe she could retrieve some useful information, so she stood up and walked near the table. Neither of the two seemed to notice her, they were too busy talking. The fact that Xander hadn't seen her yet seemed somehow very out of character for him.

"I heard about the fire, are you alright?" The concern lacing the brunette's voice made Regina want to snicker. She didn't though, she just kind of stood still for a moment, until a thought drifted to her, reminding her that was the tone Daniel would've used if he'd asked the same question...

"I'll survive." Xander's simple words seemed to snap Regina out of her thoughts, and she shook her head and directed her attention back towards the two. They were talking about the fire now, and that was something of interest. And of course Xander would know who'd set it, he knew everything, and he'd also been there to witness it.

"It must have been very...shocking... How did it even start in the first place?" Perfect, this was almost like a... cue, of sorts, for her.

"Yes, how did the fire start?" She now approached their table, with a mirthless smile twisting its way across her features. The look on Xander's face was priceless, he looked like he'd been slapped with a dead fish. It was only for a moment, though, before he turned back to his predominantly blank expression.

"Regina", he said. "It seems you've forgotten the order of the lunchroom. I believe your table is over there." She didn't like how he was eyeing her the way a hawk eyes its prey, and she watched him very carefully as he extended a hand and made a gesture towards where her popular cult was positioned.

Regina pulled herself into a seating position in the empty chair right next to Xander. "May I have a word with you, Gold?" She paused, feeling two sets of eyes staring at her, burning into her skull. "Alone," she added quickly, although she had sounded a bit more jumpy than she had intended to.

Much to her surprise, Xander stayed shock-still and didn't utter a word, the three just sat in silence. If one neglected to observe closely, they might've assumed they were three friends in the movies who just happened to not be looking all in the same direction. They were all just so focused on staring at their plate of food, at the floor, or at nothing in particular.

Finally, after what seemed like years of waiting, the brunette hurriedly stood up and excused herself from her seat. Seeing her chance, Regina took the seat in front of Xander.

"What do you want, Your Majesty?" Her mask was still on, and she was very proud of herself. For once, she hadn't let idle or aimless comments offend her.

"I want to know who started the fire", she said quickly, although she still enunciated and spoke the words clearly. "I know that you know."

"And what makes you think that I'm going to tell you?" Xander didn't sound threatening at all, more like he was simply amused and that this was all a game of checkers... or whatever.

"I know that your younger brother is a part of that mentorship program that starts next month. I just hope that his experience is a positive one, and not filled with the harsh reality that you've grown so accustomed to." She spoke the words so simply, it felt as though she were discussing what was on the menu for dinner, rather than blackmailing Gold.

"Blackmailing me can be rather dangerous, dearie." He let out a little chuckle, but Regina still felt like she had made a crack in his armor. "Are you sure you're willing to take that risk?"

"Yes." She was willing to go as far as it would take to get what she really wanted. "Now, tell me, who started the fire?" She spoke a little more sharply now, and any person who didn't already know her would assume that she was very upset.

"I still don't see why this concerns you. You weren't in the science room when it happened." Xander somehow sounded a bit threatened, and Regina figured what she'd said earlier was still eating away at him.

"That isn't any of your business," she said sharply. She didn't want to reveal Daniel to anyone else.

"It is, if you want an answer." Regina tried to open her mouth to respond, but it quickly turned into a sneer.

"A friend of mine was hurt in the fire," she said after a very long pause.

"I see," Xander said, with a pause of his own. Regina felt like he was waiting for her to say something, but she didn't speak. "And you want revenge on whoever's responsible. What exactly are you planing to do to them?" Regina didn't have to confirm, both knew the truth and they knew it very well.

"That's my business," she said, her tone growing cold. "And you've stalled for long enough. Tell me who it was." She spoke the last sentence very slowly, as if trying to keep Gold from worming away from the situation again.

"I believe he goes by Whale," Xander confirmed. Regina wanted to drive her fork into the table, and she would've, if she hadn't left her plate at the table behind her.

"I see," she said simply. She directed her attention off into the distance; she didn't want Xander to see the livid expression on her face. She didn't stop to take a final glance at him, and she didn't thank him for telling her what she'd needed to know, she just made a beeline back to her lunch plate.

It was time to start planning the demise of this fish.


	12. If It Is The Last Thing I Do

"Whale." Regina tapped the fish-kid on the back. "A word, if I may?" her eyes flashed with anger for a brief moment, but the fiery look in her eyes vanished without a trace in the next instant, leaving behind only dark, emotionless shells that seemed to stare blankly ahead. Stone-cold eyes that left Whale contemplating the fact if she really was mad or if he had only imagined it.

"I'm busy," he said hurriedly. "On my way to class." If he could, he wanted to avoid a confrontation. Regina studied his face very closely, before loudly announcing,

"You're lying."

She wasn't much of a good liar, herself, but she could detect a lie, and she could tell when someone was lying, and she could tell that this kid, was.

"Now, tell me, why is it that you're so sure of that?" Regina's hands curled into fists, but her face twisted into a sneer, portraying an entirely different emotion than the one that she was actually feeling right now.

It was just _so _pathetic how he thought that he was beating her now. Maybe that was the case once, but not now. She hated the way he looked at her, it was an empowering gaze, one that clearly screamed that he wasn't afraid of her. And she didn't like that one bit.

"Lunch is next," she deadpanned. "Unless you're planning on heading off to a fishing convention, or whatever it is that whales do around here." She eyed him warily, watching him fold his arms and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Very well, Your Highness," he mocked. "I didn't really expect you to know the time. BUt I must applaud you for being able to read simple digits." The smirk had melted away from her face, and was replaced by an angry glare.

"You just think you're _so_ clever," she sneered. "Don't you? But, see, here's the thing. You're like a fish out of water! You don't belong here, you belong with those other freaks in a 'special school'," she quipped. Much to her horror, he only laughed at this remark. _Laughed_, despite what she'd just said.

"See, it's just such a shame that you have noting better to do with your life than to hurl petty insults at me," he sneered. "Hurting others isn't going to make you happy. It's only going to-"

"I'm listening to a lecture from the _idiot_ who set the science complex on fire," Regina said, cutting him off smoothly. The tension here, you could cut it with a knife. She smirked at Whale's surprised expression.

"See, you can't hide _anything_ that happens in this school from me, I always get what I want, no matter what. And right now, I want you to pay for what you've done," she said, her voice becoming low and menacing near the end of her statement, and her eyes narrowing into slits. Whale simply looked slightly pale, but he somehow managed to find his voice, although it came out as a mere whisper.

"Goddamn spoiled bastard," he mumbled. She smirked, now she was ahead and had some leverage, even if it was only a little leverage compared to what she had had before. When she had had power. When she had actually had control over this school of chaos.

"Resorting to swearing, now, are we? I suspected someone of your so-callled 'intellect' would have some ammunition prepared." The smirk was back on her face, but Whale was determined to wipe it clean off of her face.

"Cut to the chase already," Whale said after a long, thoughtful moment. "What do you want?" She paused for a moment. She didn't want to ask for anything she knew Whale couldn't do, this would end up a waste of time. No, she had to make sure what she asked for would be within his reach, but something he didn't want to do. Those were the best deals of all, in her point of view. She wanted to use her leverage right now.

No, she was going to use her chance now, and that chance was to scare Whale. She wanted to make him worry, look behind his back, bite his lip in class and feel those eyes burning into his skull.

"Nothing you can give me. But, know this. I will have my revenge on you, if it is the last thing I do." Without wasting another single moment, Regina skulked off, leaving Whale with a lot of questions, yet no answers, and a heavy feeling hanging in the air.


	13. Smoke Sticks

_**WARNING: GRAPHIC CHAPTER AHEAD**_

* * *

It was three weeks later when it happened.

Regina was in the bathroom, putting on lipstick, when Skye walked in from the hallway, reached into her bag, and grabbed a cigarette, lit it, and breathed in a puff. Regina fought back the urge to cough.

"What are you doing, Skye, don't be retarded, they might have smoke alarms in here," she said with a sigh, even though it came out more like a strangled cough.

"So what?" Skye said simply. Regina stiffened. Had Skye really just talked back to her?

"You're going to give yourself pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis," she said smartly.

"Sheesh, if you wanted one, all you had to do was ask," Skye said, handing her another cigarette and lighting it. "They're all the rage now, anyway, everyone is smoking 'em." Regina rolled her eyes, before cautiously eying the thing.

She didn't want to be known as the girl who was too chicken to smoke a cigarette. It couldn't be that bad, could it? If she just took a little puff, then she could flush it down the toilet later or something. Everyone said you got hooked on them once you tried them, but a tiny puff couldn't hurt, right?

"Give me that," she said, snatching it out of Skye's hands. When she brought it up to her lips, she realized she had no idea how to smoke a cigarette. She stood there for a moment, staring at the little red curls at the end of the thing, and sighed. It didn't matter anyway.

As soon as she inhaled, she regretted it. She felt really, really sick, and she soon began to cough. She ran back to one of the stalls and was trying to suppress the coughing as to not look like a fool in front of Skye.

"You okay in there?" Skye wondered.

"Fine," Regina said in between coughs. "Just... great."

'No, I'm not fine, you idiot, I can't freaking breathe,' Regina thought to herself.

"Whoa, holy sh*t, what happened in here?" Malerie wondered as Regina stumbled out of the stall, still coughing.

"Regina got sick after smoking a puff," Skye said with a chuckle.

"You smoked?!" Malerie nearly shrieked. "You guys! Seriously!" she tore the cigarettes from the girls hands and threw them into the sink. "They have a smoke detector here!"

"In the bathroom?!" Skye gasped.

"No, in the classrooms," Malerie said, glaring daggers. "You're going to be in so much trouble! And will I be there to help you? ...Probably," she mumbled with a sigh.

"We don't... need... your help," Regina said in between coughs. "We can just cut... class again."

"But smoke sticks to your clothing," Malerie pointed out. "When you go home, your mom is gonna f***ing kill you. Trust me, I know the b*tch, and even that's a mistake." Regina put on a fake smile even though she was panicking.

"I... I'll be fine," she said, waving a hand dismissively.

* * *

"Sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t," Regina mumbled repeatedly under her breath as she hurled her clothing into the washing machine and poured cups of soap into the dispenser.

She proceeded to take five baths, before checking on the clothing. They seemed all right, so she tossed them into the dryer and took another bath.

When she came back out, the clothes still smelled of smoke.

"Malerie wasn't kidding," she mumbled as she tossed them back in the wash again. She didn't smell like smoke anymore, though, thankfully. She dressed in new clothing, blow dried her hair, and then realized her hair smelled like smoke.

"DAMN IT!" she screamed, dunking her head in the sink and using soap to scrub her hair down. Hand soap was not a very good idea, as it made her hair greasy all over again, but at least the scent was gone. She took another shower, dressed in new clean clothing, and then checked on the clothes in the wash.

"I'm going to be so screwed if my mom finds out," she mumbled to herself, lying faceup on the bed. What would all her friends at school say the next day, too? This was going to go on forever and ever. Regina Mills, the girl who got sick from a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, a pair of scissors came into view, lying in plain sight on her desk. She groaned and shook her head, she was not doing this.

But, then again... if it would make her feel better...

She reached out and took the pair of scissors into her hands, testing the blade with her finger.

"No, no, no, no, no, I'm not doing this," She said, putting the scissors in a drawer and slamming it shut with shaking hands.

She fell back onto the bed and cried herself to sleep.


	14. Seven Days

Ruby paced outsider her locker. Seven more days. Seven more days and school would be over. Seven more days and the end of this hell that they so kindly called middle school.

Next year, though, she knew she was going to be shipped off to eighth grade. The same old stories, the same old characters. The only trouble was that they were going to be in middle school for another whole year. Things did not bode well.

"I hate the last day of school," Mary Margaret pouted. "I mean, I don't get it. The last day is always parties and watching movies and all that crap. If they're gonna keep us at school for another day, they should at least teach us something valuable."

"Tell me about it," Ruby mumbled, pushing some books in her locker and taking out a crumpled paper bag. "My lunch is squished again," she murmured more to herself than to Mary.

"Wanna go over to the snack bar after school?" Mary suggested. Ruby was about to respond, before she was unceremoniously shoved to the ground by a crowd of overexcited teens.

"What the hell?" Mary wondered as she helped Ruby up. "Hey, what's going on? Someone get a golden ticket or something?" she joked as she pulled aside a boy.

"No- guess what? Kids have been smoking at school and there was this huge fight that broke out- the police are here!" the kid answered before squirming out of her grasp and dashing down the hall.

"What- the police are here?" Mary wondered, dumbfounded. Ruby groaned.

"Good god. This happened last year," she mumbled.

"I bet it was Regina," Mary finally said. "I mean, she smelled like smoke the other day. Plus I heard from my good friend, Skye. Skye said that Regina threatened that she would get her if she didn't smoke a puff." Ruby shook her head.

"That's no excuse for Skye to smoke, though," Ruby mumbled. "Although Regina can be ver manipulative." Mary clenched her fists.

"That sneaky b*tch, this is all her fault."

"What do you care the police are here anyway, it's not like they're after you. Seriously, lay off, dude," Ruby said.

"That's true," Mary said with a sigh. "I just don't think Skye deserves to get into trouble about something that was Regina's fault." Ruby nodded.

"Yeah. But for now, let's just lay low."

* * *

"Wow. That was quite the day," Ruby said, putting some books in her locker.

"I know, the police always make me uneasy," Mary Margaret mumbled from behind her door.

Ruby placed her Math book on the ground so she could juggle putting her oversized Science book, when, out of the blue, Regina walked past her, a smirk on her face, and tossed the Math book on the top of her locker.

"What the hell was that for?" Ruby yelped. Regina grinned.

"Don't know what you're talking about, sorry."

"You just threw Ruby's math book up on her locker," Mary said, a creepy glare sneaking across her features.

"Oh. That. Shouldn't be too hard to get down, I imagine," Regina said, before walking off haughtily.

"What the hell is her problem?" Mary wondered after she had gone. Ruby was trying to get her book down from where it was but it was just too high for her to reach.

"Here, lemme help," Mary said, moving her aside and trying to get the book. "No," she said with a sigh.

"Wait," Ruby said. "Give me a boost. One... two... Ouch! Ouch!"

The two girls fell backwards, no book in hand.

"Damn it," Mary cursed.

"Look over there," someone whispered from the side.

"Why does everything have to suck so much?" Ruby wondered as she picked herself up.

"Here," a voice said, she looked up to see none other than Whale, the fish out of water at their school, holding her math book in his hand. A dumb grin snuck across his features.

"Umm, thanks," she said, taking the book from his hands. Mary simply gawked at him.

"Anyway, I should get going, but I do hope I was of assistance." Ruby just nodded and watched him walk down the hall.

"Assistance?" Mary finally wondered. "Who the hell says stuff like that? Assistance. Huh."


	15. Awards Day

"F*cking hate school," Regina grumbled, shoving her PE bag into her locker. "Who even thought school up in the first place?" She slammed the door shut. The other girls blinked for a moment, thinking up a response.

"Ummm... Albert Einstein?" Kathryn wondered.

"Kathryn, you idiot, it was a rhetorical question," Regina snapped. She blinked.

"Oh. Well, all right, your Highness," she mocked, before turning back to go to class.

"Excuse me?" Regina wondered, whirling around. "You don't get to say that. You-"

"Sorry, am I interrupting anything?" David wondered.

"In fact, you are," Regina hissed. "What do you want, fop?"

"Kathryn forgot her PE bag at the gym, I just came to give it back," he said dumbly.

"Well aren't you a real Prince Charming," Regina sneered, before turning tail and storming off.

"Stupid f*cking motherf*cker Kathryn," Regina mumbled. "Thinks she can go around, defying me." Her eye caught something quite suddenly and she spun around. It was a poster for the awards ceremony on the upcoming Wednesday, then there would only be five days of school left. She yanked the poster down and stared at it for a long time.

She'd always won the awards. She held the record for the most ever, that was two. She was going to win again, she knew it, but she was tired of winning.

"You better give me three f*cking rewards this time," she growled, before tearing the poster into tiny pieces and watching them float uselessly onto the ground.

* * *

"Awards day," Ruby groaned. "Damn it, I flipping hate this day."

"What's so bad about it?" Mary Margaret wondered.

"Because Regina always gets the Musical award. Oh, yeah, and the English one. The two ones that I really really want. And I get the best grades in English, I don't even know why she gets it. Well, then again, her mother IS the principal," she continued to wildly rant.

"Maybe it'll change this year," Mary suggested.

"She holds the record for two awards, Mary. Everyone knows how freaking hard it is to even get one."

"Huh."

"She doesn't even sing good," Ruby ranted. "I mean, come on. Look at her. She doesn't even like Theater! She thinks people who like it are gay."

"How do you know that?" Mary wondered, surprised. "I mean, you know, you tend to know an awful lot about her for hating her so much." Ruby sighed.

"Well... long story short, we used to be friends. Didn't end well."

"But-"

"Don't wanna talk about it," Ruby groaned. "Now let's get to this damned awards thing already." she shoved open the door and Mary reluctantly followed her in.

* * *

"The Science award goes to 'Whale'," the announcer spoke, the audience clapped lamely and rolled their eyes. Nothing much happened, it was more the record for who held the most awards that mattered. Not necessarily the actual awards themselves.

"The Art award goes to... Mary Margaret," the announcer spoke. Ruby's eyes widened and she beamed in Mary's direction as her friend, in a daze, went up to collect her cheap fake lei and certificate.

The next few awards were a blur, and by this point, Ruby had pulled out a stick of spearmint gum and was chewing it. Mary was playing with a strand of her hair.

"The English award..." both girls sat up and straightened themselves out. "Goes to Mary Margaret also. Congratulations." Ruby swallowed her gum and Mary yanked out her hair. The two girls just sat there, staring at the stand for a very long time, before Ruby unceremoniously shoved Mary out of her seat to go get the award.

"One more," Ruby mumbled. "One more and the Queen will bow her head in defeat."

"Wait, wait, wait, stay up here," the announcer called as Mary tried to make her way downstage. Ruby sucked in a breath.

"You also won the Study Skills award," the announcer said oddly, like something like this had never happened before. Which it hadn't.

"What?" came a quite loud voice from the audience. The entire crowd was completely silent, you could hear a cricket chirp. Quite literally.

"WHAT?" came the same voice. All heads swiveled, it was Regina Mills and she was very pissed.

"Oh, shiz," Ruby mumbled. "Now we're screwed."


End file.
